Parents who either delay or refuse vaccinations for their children do so for a number of reasons, including religious, personal and philosophical beliefs, safety concerns, and a desire for more information from health-care providers, according to 2016 research published in the Journal of Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics.
The American Medical Association has long decried allowing parents to decline vaccination for nonmedical reasons and has cited vaccines' ability to prevent diseases such as measles, mumps and other infectious diseases. Still, a majority of states allow religious exemptions for vaccinations. Nearly 20, including Michigan, provide exemption for religious and personal reasons. Only three, California, Mississippi and West Virginia, don't allow nonmedical exemptions.
In Michigan, parents or guardians of children enrolled in public and private schools are required to attend an educational session, in which they learn about diseases that vaccines can prevent, before they're given waivers for nonmedical purposes.
Bredow, who shares joint custody of her son with her ex-husband, said that's what she had done. She added that she and Horne had initially agreed to delay their son's vaccines for three months after he was born in 2008. Two years later, in 2010, she said they both agreed to suspend all immunizations, and their son has not had a vaccine shot since.
Horne did not return a call from The Post on Saturday, but his lawyer, Benton G. Richardson, told ABC News that the dispute is not about vaccinations.
"It is a case about Ms. Bredow refusing to comport with any number of the court's orders and actively seeking to frustrate Mr. Horne's joint legal custody rights," Richardson said.
The legal dispute also comes amid a growing anti-vaccine sentiment, which began in 1998, when a medical journal published a now-discredited study linking vaccination with autism. The once-fringe movement has become more popular and received a nod of approval from Donald Trump, who repeatedly suggested a link between vaccination and autism before he ran for president.
Horne did not return a call from The Post on Saturday, but his lawyer, Benton G. Richardson, told ABC News that the dispute is not about vaccinations.
"It is a case about Ms. Bredow refusing to comport with any number of the court's orders and actively seeking to frustrate Mr. Horne's joint legal custody rights," Richardson said.
The legal dispute also comes amid a growing anti-vaccine sentiment, which began in 1998, when a medical journal published a now-discredited study linking vaccination with autism. The once-fringe movement has become more popular and received a nod of approval from Donald Trump, who repeatedly suggested a link between vaccination and autism before he ran for president.
The American Medical Association said in a statement that creating the commission "would cause unnecessary confusion and adversely impact parental decision-making and immunization practices."
The plan appears to have stalled. Kennedy told STAT News last month that he has had no discussions with White House officials about the commission since February.
In Minnesota, which has experienced its worst measles outbreak in decades, anti-vaccine activists have stepped up their work to challenge efforts by public-health officials and clinicians to prevent the spread of the highly infectious disease.
Bredow, whose marriage with Horne was annulled shortly after their son was born, said she is not against vaccination, reiterating that that choice should be left up to the parents.
